Musharraf suspends chief justice
Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf suspends Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry on allegations of misconduct. Pakistani lawyers take to the streets in droves to protest the move.

Hotel bomb blast kills 24
A bomb blast tied to rallies over Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry's suspension kills 24 in Peshawar.

Pakistani security forces storm Islamabad's Red Mosque
After a week-long siege, Pakistani security forces storm Islamabad's Red Mosque, attacking alleged al-Qaida militants inside. Nearly 100 people are killed in the raid.

Supreme Court reinstates Chaudhry
The Pakistani Supreme Court reinstates Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry.

Musharraf meets with Bhutto
Exiled former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto meets with President Pervez Musharraf in Abu Dhabi to talk about a possible power-sharing deal.

Sharif returns from exile, is expelled
Exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returns to Pakistan only to be arrested upon landing at Islamabad Airport and sent back to Saudi Arabia.

Musharraf wins re-election
President Pervez Musharraf wins the majority vote in the presidential election on Oct. 6, but the Supreme Court asserts that no winner can be announced until it decides if the president can be a standing army chief.
Benazir Bhutto returns from exile Oct. 18. A suicide bomber targeting her convoy kills more than 100 people, though she escapes the attack unharmed.

Musharraf declares state of emergency
President Gen. Pervez Musharraf declares a state of emergency on Nov. 3 to clamp down on growing anti-government protests. While awaiting the verdict from the Supreme Court on whether his candidacy was legitimate, Musharraf again removes Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry. A reshaped Supreme Court later dismisses the challenges to his presidency. Under intense political pressure, Musharraf resigns his military post on Nov. 29 and pledges to end emergency rule.

Emergency rule ends; Bhutto assassinated
Now civilian President Pervez Musharraf follows through with his pledge to end emergency rule, moving on Dec. 15 to rescind his order. On Dec. 29, a suicide attacker kills opposition leader Benazir Bhutto as she campaigned ahead of critical parliamentary elections set for early 2008.

Opposition parties win in parliamentary elections
The Pakistan Peoples Party wins the most seats in parliamentary elections and soon forms an alliance with Pakistan Muslim League-N to seek the reinstatement of judges fired by Musharraf and to reduce his powers.

Musharraf resigns
Facing growing pressure from Pakistan's Parliament and the threat of impeachment, Musharraf announces on Aug. 18 that he will step down as president.

Zardari elected
Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of former premier Benazir Bhutto and leader of the Pakistan People's Party, was elected Sept. 6 as president of Pakistan.

Sources: NewsHour, BBC, CNN